New Englanders seek relief from the heat

The heat that blanketed much of the nation in July wrapped itself this week around the Northeast, where temperatures broke through the 100-degree F. mark.

That, plus high humidity, led local officials to declare heat emergencies Tuesday and Wednesday. In New York, Mayor Michael Bloomberg ordered that generators be used to power jails and that display lights be turned off the Brooklyn Bridge, to relieve the strain on the electrical grid. In Boston, Mayor Thomas Menino kept city pools open until 9 p.m. and designated a "cooling center" in every neighborhood, where residents with no air conditioning could come for comfort – and safety.

Throughout it all, northerners unaccustomed to inferno conditions found ways to cope. Shade, shelter, swimming pools, and even an ice rink were the chosen escape routes for these relief-seekers.